Last look: UW at Illinois

Champaign, Ill. – A few thoughts on Wisconsin’s 74-68 victory over Illinois on Sunday:

Kudos to sophomore Frank Kaminsky, who filled in for foul-plagued Jared Berggren and posted college-highs of points (19) and minutes (23).

After Kaminsky combined for three points and six rebounds in UW’s first three Big Ten games I wondered if all the talk about his offseason improvement was just that, talk.

Then he hit consecutive three-pointers at Indiana before getting poked in the left eye, which cost him three games.

Before the Indiana game I thought the 6-foot-11, 230-pounder appeared tentative and soft near the basket.

If Sunday was a preview of coming attractions, UW will be in good shape in the second half of Big Ten play.
Kaminsky took open shots when they came available and took advantage of mismatches inside. And perhaps most important, he hit 12 of 14 free-throw attempts.

“He was playing really well before that,” guard Ben Brust said, referring to the left-eye injury. “It was good to see him get some confidence…He was real active.”

Forward Ryan Evans added: “That was huge…We know Frank can be a real asset for us. To get him going at this point in the season is a great thing.”

Illinois aided Kaminsky’s ability to score inside or get to the line. The Illini several times tried to slow Kaminsky with small guards, a mistake that left coach John Groce perturbed.

“We knew he was capable,” Groce said. “Not to take anything away from him but we had a scheme in place that I didn’t think we executed very well.

“We had our point guard on some switches on him and we didn’t get backside help. They took advantage of it. Good job by him. Good job by them.”

Good job by Brust, who hadn’t scored double figures or take more than eight shots since the Big Ten opener against Penn State, when he hit 5 of 14 shots and finished with 13 points.

Brust didn’t force any plays against the Illini but he was opportunistic. Brust hit 2 of 5 three-pointers and 7 of 11 field-goal attempts overall (63.6%).

“I think it was the flow,” UW coach Bo Ryan said when asked if he thought Brust hunted his shot more than in previous games. “I think it was read and react. He got himself into some scoring opportunities (but) the ball still has to go through the net.”

I asked UW associate head coach Greg Gard last week whether the staff was worried about Evans’ confidence in the wake of his 9-for-39 shooting slump.

Gard noted Evans was both confident and resilient.

Evans showed both qualities Sunday with 15 points and nine rebounds. After hitting just 1 of 6 field-goal attempts in the first half, he made 4 of 5 in the second half and finished 5 of 11. He also did a better job from the free-throw line (5 of 11).

More important, Evans didn’t forces shots and contrary to what some fans think, not every shot he misses is a bad shot.

Evans, by the way, contributed two assists and a block in 31 minutes. He did not have a turnover.

It was obvious early UW wanted to get the ball inside. That trend held true for most of the game and the Badgers finished with only 14 three-point attempts, their lowest total in Big Ten play, out of 49 field-goal attempts.

The Badgers were averaging 22.4 three-point attempts in league play before Sunday and their season-low was 13, on Dec. 12 against UW-Green Bay.

UW is 89-16 under Ryan when it attempts fewer than 15 three-pointers.

“We’re looking in the post and when we’re getting it we’re being more aggressive,” Evans said. “That’s what you’ve got to do.”

Ryan gave a classic answer when asked how UW could go from zero free-throw attempts at Ohio State to 42 Sunday.

Illinois guard Brandon Paul had two forgettable games vs. UW this season. He hit 1 of 4 three-pointers and 1 of 11 field-goal attempts overall in the first game, a 74-51 UW victory. He went 0 of 4 from three-point range and 3 of 13 overall Sunday. That is 4 of 24, including 1 of 8 from three-point range.